By BRIGHTON TARUBEREKERA
There is no doubt that the Corona Virus (COVID 19) is deadly and as of now remains incurable. Attempts at finding the means to cure the virus and the vaccines have seen an increase in the development of certain ‘theories’ relating to the origin of the corona virus and what it means to the citizens of the world. Sadly most of these ‘theories’ are based on fiction, fantasy and unproven facts. They can be rightly considered as conspiracies.
Writing on his Facebook wall, Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) Chairman, Rev Kenneth Mtata identified several conspiracy theories relating to the COVID 19 pandemic. He argued that there are a series of conspiracies being pushed and these conspiracies range from the scientific, the economic, geopolitical and even theological. These explanations, mostly spread via the social media have attempted to explain the cause of the COVID 19 on the scientific reasoning that the pandemic was being caused by 5G technology allegedly being adopted by the Western countries as well as China in the East, the economic conspiracy that the virus was created by pharmaceutical companies to gain an economic advantage, the geopolitical arguments that the COVID 19 is a biological warfare tool designed by the Chinese so as to challenge the United States hegemony in the contemporary world system. The theological conspiracy pushes for ward the narrative that the corona virus might be an end time ploy to institute a new world order.
Most of us have encountered some of these conspiracies on the social media platforms we use on a daily basis. Let’s understand that what is at stake due to this pandemic is our own existence, our own lives. Let’s not entertain these conspiracies, if in any way they compromise our ability to exercise caution. Despite the proliferation of all the several conspiracy theories, it might be more useful for us to focus on self-preservation and prevention than on conspiracy theories.
How do we preserve our lives from the COVID 19 induced death and prevent the further spread of the disease? There might be no cure as of now but there is definitely something we can do. Observe the Lockdown, do away with unnecessary movements, always maintain your social distance at least one metre apart) and cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing.
